Gunshot
by RisemboolRanger
Summary: Drabble (Flash Fiction Project). Side story to "Red Letter Day". Sidney's not so sure about the vigilante who's been enlisted to teach her how to fight. And not just because his methods are a little unorthodox - she's not even sure if he's a good guy or a bad guy. Flash/OC


It was finally my first training day. I'd been waiting ages for this. We met out on an abandoned airstrip, far enough away from civilians to bother or be bothered by them. Flash had accompanied me, as the League had wanted another member to oversee my session. He'd assured me that it had been Batman's decision, but I kinda wondered if he'd put the request in himself. He seemed to have stuck unusually close to me recently. Not that I minded.

We were met on the strip by my hand-picked mentor, the man who was otherwise known as the Green Arrow. Green Arrow wasn't an immediate part of the Justice League, so I didn't know much about him, other than that his methods weren't always orthodox. But the League trusted him and he'd been another choice of Batman's. That had surprised me. Bats rarely chose to actively participate in something outside of his role. It probably should have worried me. Batman's motives were as out there as Green Arrow's techniques supposedly were.

Green Arrow didn't bother with the nicety of introductions. He'd pulled his bow and was already nocking an arrow. I wondered if he was going to make a point or a demonstration. "As you know, I'm here to train you. But before I even begin teaching you to fight, there's something else important that you must understand first. You work primarily as part of a unit, a team, and I need to know if you can handle that."

I frowned. "What does that mean?"

By way of answering, Green Arrow changed the direction of his bow and let the arrow fly. It hit Flash in the leg, just below the knee joint. Flash cried out in pain, keeling to the floor. I felt my stomach twist at the sound, as I instinctively made a dash for him. "Flash!"

I almost made it to him before I was ordered to stop. I turned towards the voice and saw that the bow and arrow were now aimed at me. I knew that, with his speed, Flash could have easily avoided a shot like that. But nothing could have prepared him for it. The only reason he'd been hit was because he hadn't been expecting it. Because he _trusted_ Green Arrow. So why had he shot Flash if he was such a trusted ally? It just didn't make sense.

Flash clearly didn't understand either. He clutched at his leg, careful not to jostle the arrow. "What the hell was that for?" he managed to burst out.

"The first step," Green Arrow replied simply. He lowered his bow just enough to make a gesture with his elbow.

On cue, a man appeared, moving up beside him. His head was almost shaved and his skin the colour of dark coffee. His black clothing went with his complexion, the simple haircut, making him appear inconspicuous, unnoticeable, inoffensive. But the gun in his hand was definitely offensive. I had no idea where he'd even come from, but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was that he was armed and that he definitely didn't seem to be a good guy. And, apparently, Green Arrow wasn't either. Just what was going on here?

"I'll allow you one move," he told me, his bow still directed my way. "You have five seconds. Choose wisely."

My stomach twisted again, sickeningly, as the black man pointed his gun at Flash, still crumpled helplessly on the ground. I understood the situation perfectly now. Flash couldn't use his speed with his leg injured. And without his speed, he had no escape. He was just a normal human being. That was useless against men with weapons. My power was useless too. Invisibility could protect me from bullets or arrows, proving my foe didn't strike lucky if they started shooting blind, but it wouldn't help Flash. I had no other skills to help him either. I couldn't disarm either man - I couldn't hope to be faster than an arrow and especially not a bullet. I had nothing. There was only one possible option I could choose.

With those few final seconds I'd been given, I closed the gap between me and Flash and threw my entire body over his. I didn't even know if it would work. For all I knew, the bullet would go straight through me and still hit him anyway. But it was the only thing I could think to do. It was the last sacrifice I could make.

Flash realised in the last moment what I was doing and tried to push me away. "What are you doing?"

"Hopefully saving you," I whispered, clinging to him tightly and burying my face against the emblem on his chest.

The blast of the gunshot sounded over our heads. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut tighter, digging my fingers into Flash's shoulders, and waited for the agonizing pain. Only it never came. I tentatively turned around to see the man lower the gun, the tip of it still smoking.

"The gun only carries blanks," Green Arrow explained, satisfied, seeing the look on my face. He shouldered his bow. "You passed the test."

I was too stunned to even move. "What do you mean; I passed the test?"

"The most important thing about working in a team is that you always put your teammates before yourself. Even when it's a matter of life and death. You have their backs at all costs."

"Wait a minute; you shot me in the leg for a _test_?" Flash protested incredulously, as Green Arrow made his way over to us, still on the floor.

"You heal fast," Green Arrow said and ripped the arrow out of Flash's leg, making him cry out again. He gave me a brief nod, which didn't really reassure me all that much. "Well done. I'll give you a moment and then we'll start your training."

I wasn't sure the 'well done' really compensated for anything. This guy was even more conniving than Batman. Whether it had been a blank or not, I just knew the sound of that gunshot was going to haunt my nightmares for weeks. But as I turned back towards Flash, still draped embarrassingly across him, his face softened as our eyes met and I couldn't help but think that maybe it was still worth it after all. I definitely didn't regret my decision.


End file.
